Arch support



April 26, 1960 D. ARONOFF 2,933,835

ARCH SUPPORT Filed Aug. 11, 1959 United States. Patent ARCH SUPPORT David Aronolf, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application August 11, 1959, Serial No. 832,983

' 4 Claims. (Cl. 36-71) need, it is necessary that each such support be fitted to the individuals foot requiring the same asthe height of the arch varies widely in the feet of different people.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an arch support which adapts itself to arches differing substantially in height and provides a satisfactory degree of support for each of these arches.

In different human feet, not only does the size and length of the foot vary but the location of the arch lengthwise of the foot varies in difierent feet of the same length.

It is accordingly still another object of the present invention to provide an arch support which is adapted to be installed in a shoe to support the arch of the foot on which such shoe is'worn, and in which the area in which said support offers support for the arch of the foot may be adjusted lengthwise of the shoe so as to lie directly beneath the arch of the foot on which said shoe is worn.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide such an arch support which may be made in not more than three diiferent sizes and, with the adjustability above mentioned, be suitable in one or the other of said sizes to perform its required function in shoes of all different shapes and sizes for people with feet covering all the normal variations found therein.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of an oxford shoe with a preferred embodiment of the arch support of the present invention embodied therein.

Fig. 2 is an inside side elevational view of Fig. 1 with a portion of said shoe broken away to illustrate, in side elevation, the arch support mounted therein.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the shoe shown in the latter view when it is being worn on the right foot of an individual with the arch area of said foot supported by said arch support.

Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing the arch support as this appears when it is not depressed by the wearing of a shoe containing said support.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the invention is there shown as associated with a shoe 10 the structural details of which are omitted and which includes a sole 11 and an upper 12 forming a foot cavity 13 for receiving a human foot 14 on which the shoe 10 is worn.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings as comprising an arch support 15 which is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 as properly installed in the lining 26 are co-extensive in outline and the lower layer 7' shoe 10 with said arch support resting on the bottom of I cavity 13 and secured to the sole 11.

The arch support 15 includes a triangular frame-andelastic assembly 16 which is formed of two members, a sheet steel frame 17 and an endless elastic band 18. As clearly shown in Fig. 4, the frame 17, which is formed of a substantially rectangular sheet of steel having a non-corrosible coating such as chrome plate and with said sheet bent at 19 to divide said sheet into a horizontal leg 20 and an upright leg 21. The endless band 18 is slightly wider than the steel frame 17 so as to overlap opposite ends of this frame when said band is stretched around the latter and this band is of suflicient length so that it must be stretched to be thus placed around the frame 17 to produce an elastic web 25 with this suspended between outer extremities of the two frame legs 20 and 21.

The assembly 16 is the heart of the arch support 15 and any desired means may be employed to locate the assembly 16 in ashoe 10 so as to properly position the assembly 16 with reference to a foot 14 on which the shoe is worn so that the resilient web 25 is presented to the'arch portion of the foot in supporting relation therewith as shown in Fig. 3. The preferred means illustrated in the drawing for so positioning the assembly 16 in the shoe 10 comprises a special sock-lining 26 which is of two-ply construction including upper and lower layers 27 and 28 of soft flexible sheet material and is of any desired outline suitable for being received inside the shoe 10 so as to rest on the sole 11 when it has been installed in place. The upper and lower layers 27 and 28 of sock- 28- has a slot 29 formed longitudinally therein near its outer edge through which the band 18 extends near the lower end of the resilient web section 25 of said band. The slot 29 is longer than the width of the rubber band 18 so that the assembly 16 may be shifted longitudinally relative to the two-ply sock-lining 26 incidental to the installation of the arch support 15 in the shoe 10 and in order to properly locate the assembly 16 in supporting relation with the arch portion of the foot on which the shoe 10 is designed to be worn. As prepared for distribution and before being installed in the shoe 10, the assembly 16 of each arch support 15 is thus shiftable longitudinally throughout the full limits afforded by the length of slot 29, but, outside of this freedom of movement, the assembly 16 is permanently united with the sock-lining 26 by edge portions of the two layers 27 and 28 being cemented together to unite these into a single sock-lining with the upper layer 27 overlying the suspended resilient web section 25 of the band 18 and with the lower layer 28 passing close beneath said suspended web.

When the assembly 16 has been properly related to the sock-lining 26 of the arch support 15 by lengthwise shifting of the assembly in the slot 29, the edge portions of the layers 27 and 28 of said sock-lining which lie adjacent to the assembly 16 and which are normally not cemented together are now united by cement so as to fix the longitudinal relation of the assembly 16 to the sock-lining. The arch support 15 is now inserted into the shoe 10 in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and permanently secured to the shoe by cementing the sock-lining 26 to the sole 11 of the shoe.

When the shoe 10 is now placed on the foot 14 on which it is to be worn, the assembly 16 is properly lo-' cated with reference to the arch of said foot so that the suspended elastic web 25 of said assembly offers constant resilient support to the arch of said foot as clearly shown in Fig. 3. By comparing this view to Fig. 4 it is seen that the pressure of the arch portion of the foot against resilient web 25 depresses the latter, with this web in conformation with the foot and thereby applies a light n psasse Q g a 3 resilient supporting force-upwardly against the arch pornpf the ee It is also noted that the resilient web 25, suspended as -it is on the frame 17, is automatically adaptable to arches varying substantially in height. In otherwords; while a foot 14 is shown in Fig. 3 with the arch thereof of a given height so as to cause a certain; downward stretchingof the resilient web 25, it is quite apparentzthata foot with a lower arch would merely prOduQ'a s1ightly greater downward stretching of the web 25 i In the same manner, a foot with a higher arch-;from that shown in Fig 3.could wear the'shoe equipped with the arch support 15 ;as shown thereinand this foot; would;still derive substantial support in the arch area whileproducing at slightly less downward distortion; of the; resilient web ZS-than is shown in Fig. 3. a

Theghigh degree of flexibility of the.- elastic web25 of 'tliepresent invention gives'it another great advantage oven previous devices offered for the support-ofafoot;

arch. This isthe action upon the arch'by this web which takes place when a person walks or shifts'his weight on a foot whereby the web flexes downwardly as the weight increases and upwardly as the weight decreases thereby I This action of course takes place regardless of be glmade in this without departingfrom the spirit of. theinvention orathe scope .of .the appended-claims.

Theclaims are: 1. ln-an arch support the combination of: asubsta ntiallyrigid frame member formedof an approximately rectangularrsheet of metal bent to formanangleand;

divide said sheet into two legs one of which is disposedhorizontally ..and theaother of which extends-upwardly from said bend; an elastic band of a length requiring the same to be stretched to encircle said frame member, said band being thus assembled with said frame member so that a section of said band is stretched between extremities of said legs of said frame member to form an elastic web comprising the third side of a triangle, with said legs forming the other two sides thereof; and means for mounting said frame and band, so assembled, in a shoe with said elastic web presented to-the. arch of the foot on which said shoe is worn.

2. A combination asinclaim-l in which saidmounting means comprises a. sock-lining which substantially covers and is secured to saidelastic web.

3. A combination as in claim 2 in which said socklining is two-ply and includes an upper and a lower layer which are secured together with said upper layer disposed above said suspended elastic web andsaid lower layer has a slot through which said elastic bandextends at the lower end ofsaid suspended elastic web to permit longitudinal adjustment of said frame and band assembly relative to said sock-lining when installing said arch supportina. shoe.

4. In anarchsupport, the combination -,of: a-substan-' tially rigid frame member comprising a section of -a; sheet metal angle providing two legs which form-twosides of atriangle; and-an elastic webmounted on-said frame member to extend in taut condition between theextremities-of said-angle legs and form the-thirdside ofsaid triangle,=said-frame legs being supported, when saidarch support is in use, by thesoleand innerside wall ofa shoe to present said elastic web-to the arch' of theioot on which-said shoe is -worn.

No .references :cited: 

